There are a number of chest and arm exercising devices that incorporate cuffs receiving the arms of a user and an elastic band connecting the cuffs and extending across the chest. These devices are used when doing push ups, lifting weights in a bench press exercise, overhead presses, incline and decline presses and triceps dips. Typical devices are shown in U.S. Pat. Nos. D748,209, 4,273,328, 4,570,929, 5,573,487, 8,777,155, and 9,265,983 and U.S. Printed Patent Application 2008/0214330, the disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference. It is this type device to which the disclosed elastic member most nearly relates. Other U.S. Patents of some interest are U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,808,267; 3,324,851; 4,799,675; 4,890,841 and 6,616,581.
Weight lifting is a sport, like all sports, where small differences in performance are the difference between winning and losing, especially in top flight competition. The reason, of course, is that competitors are normally very evenly matched. In order to provide a competitive edge, tight fitting weight lifter's shirts have been designed to store energy when a weight is lowered in order to assist the lifter in raising the weight, as shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,473,908, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. This approach involves angling the sleeves of a lifter's shirt in a horizontal plane so that the shirt material, across the chest, is stretched on lowering the weight in order to contribute to the lifter's force in raising the weight.
Weight lifter's garments that are used in internationally sanctioned events are subject to considerable limitations because the controlling international associations prefer to limit or minimize the effect of the garment on the performance of the lifter. In other words, garments can be made that do not conform to the limitations normally imposed by bodies such as the International Powerlifting Federation (a governing body recognized by the General Association of International Sports Federations and the International Olympic Committee) but substantially improve lifters performances. By the same token, the International Powerlifting Federation wants to ensure that the garment is not prone to cause injury to the lifter.
The International Powerlifting Federation has rules which govern the type fabric and yarn which may be used in sanctioned lifting events. In unlimited lifting events, there are essentially no rules so garments may be made of any fabric and of any construction.
The regulatory body of some lifting groups now allow garments which clearly act to store energy and thereby improve the ability of lifters to raise weights.
Of some interest are U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,656,145; 2,456,190; 4,800,593; 5,383,235; 5,915,531 and 6,061,832. Disclosures of some interest relative to the disclosed weight lifting shirt are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,473,908; 5,978,966; 6,047,406; 6,176,816; 6,231,488 and 6,892,396, U.S. Design Pat. No. 748,209 and U.S. Printed Patent Application 20070000015.